En route to the Robin Rodriguez meeting… Thinking about old speedy Gonzales cartoons with “Slowpoke Rodriguez” and his pistol. How racist would folks find that character today? I’d heard that the cartoon network withheld showing speedy for a while, come to think of it. Not sure if that’s true. When I worked at the library, Theresa Rodriguez rightfully had the moniker of slowpoke… Brent dubbed her that, I think. She was the assistant in the kids department and very sweet. Perfect height for the job…maybe 4’10 or so? She was one of the elves when I acted as a Santa’s helper at BBCL. (5 times… I’ve put on the red suit about 9 or10 times for kids since the 7th grade)

12:27 pm

Note to others about self – don’t confuse courtesy with subservience. Some folks think I do nice things out of obligation rather than just being nice. Nuh-uh.

12:36pm

Robin and Al aren’t too late… They just pulled in.

2:32 pm

The meeting went well, and I got a free lunch out of the deal. Lots of industry gossip was passed around. Told about Dave & Cathi’s baby getting biggerand cuter... Wally’s crookedness, new company and upcoming trial, Vic fired or leaving Nordis (I’m more and more glad that didn’t pan.) the rack is working with MM now and gave a good review of me… As did Cobden and Brian at MCS. MM is in Fort Lauderdale, another bonus.

I pull an 8-8 TAG shift this coming Sunday but have Saturday off! Looks like lunch with ldy is surely on!

4:18 pm

riding the bus… I can’t believe how wrong some folks are with judgments. I smile pleasantly at a young lady and the look that she throws back at me is the kind you’d give to a dog that might bite if it got off its leash. I’m glad that most little kids can see that I’m a nice guy anyhow. Too many predators in the world today… Makes for skittish people. If that girl knew me, she’d know that I’m as gentle as a lamb unless provoked by violence or cruelty. Plus, I’m not “cruising for the booty”.

At the shoe store next to the Diner-

Babe Ruth, life size, standing in front of *running* shoes. I really don’t think of el pauncho as a long distance marathon dude.

Classic engineering #1 – Guardrails that lead down directly to a support column on the “Just for feet” store

Classic Engineering #2. A different perspective on the same guardrail set. These two lead up steps, only to meet together in a pair of hoops that forbid passage. I’m not sure what broke away the top step. Erosion, maybe, or just bad concrete, not able to support itself together with two poles so close together at the top. Maybe both?

I’d say that perhaps 50% of the stairwell forbids passage just by bad design of one sort or another.

At the Bus top near the Cypress Creek Tri-Rail Station

Joe graffiti on the clear Plexiglas of the rain-shade stop. It’s smoky or hazy… those shapes behind are trees and vehicles.

A sun-bleached basketball, sitting flat, long abandoned inside a fenced off area that was once a parking lot for the bowling alley (which was torn down in ’98, or so.. you can see the remains of it beyond.) I wonder where the ball-players are now?

Home again, home again. Who can say how old Mr. tree out front is? The place on the left is the front house, and the tree is now completely free of yellow leaves. A week ago, maybe more, it was covered with green-yellow plumage.
End palm update.

I got a weird sense of post-apocalyptic memory, looking at a lot of the locations. How long will those things stand, if everyone vanished tomorrow? There are places you can walk during the day in the business district that is totally silent… no cars in motion… buildings stretching overhead, not giving any sign of the life within. If it wasn’t for the birds, a person might think that only plants remain. In the wrong parts of town, there isn’t any landscaped flora, either…. Just grass forcing its way out between the cracks. Other times, there’s so many people and vehicles out and about, it seems like there’s not enough room to store them all during the quiet times.

Visited at Meredith’s place briefly tonight with Mike, and a few of her friends. Mike took about 3000 shots at the last tenant’s sexuality, and was then mildly chastised by the friends there when it turned out that the two guys were dating each other. Heehee… maybe that’ll teach him to watch his mouth, at least for a little while.

Chatted with ldy, and we will indeed get together tomorrow. It’ll be so nice to get together with my littler big sis! Mexican Food.. Huzzah! We will drink Margaritas. and meet Penguinboi.

I have to Call Mike at KForce tomorrow sometime, to confirm regarding Sunday.